Coin dispensing device



March 9, 1965 E. KURZ CQIN DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 [72 #672 for. Zrrzes t Kaijfzforzzqus United States Patent 3,172,414 (ZGIN DISPENSING DEVICE Ernest Kurz, 18243 Wildwood Ava, Lansing, Ill. Filed Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 308,404 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 133-6) 4 This invention relates generally to coin dispensers, and more particularly to coin dispensers for vehicles which 'are adapted to hold coins of varying denominations for "easy manual removal.

Coin dispensers for vehicles are employed for the storage of coins in such a manner that the coins are easily accessible to the driver of the vehicle. The device with which this invention is concerned is an extremely simple and inexpensive coin dispenser adapted to be secured to the dash-board of a vehicle for conveniently holding coins of different denominations to be used at toll stations, parking meters, and the like. Coins are stacked in an upright chamber and are fed seriatim by gravity into a coin dispensing position where each coin is held securely in upwardly tilted position until ultimately used. A simple manual sliding operation will remove the bottom coin in the stack after which the next superposed coin takes its place in coin dispensing position.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a new and improved coin dispenser for a vehicle.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensive coin dispenser for a vehicle which is extremely simple in construction, yet reliable in use.

Another object of the present invention resides in provfiding a coin dispenser constructed to utilize gravity to feed the coins successively into dispensing position and to utilize gravity to prevent the coins from being accidentally and prematurely moved from dispensing position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coin dispenser for a vehicle which provides extremely easy manual removal of coins as desired.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a coin dispenser constructed and mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the coin dispenser of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the coin dispenser of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 1 with the cover plate swung partially open;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, and initially to FIGURE 1, there is shown a a coin dispenser assembly, generally designated It), mounted on a dashboard 11 of a vehicle. The coin dispenser assembly includes a housing 12 which may be formed of wood, plastic, or the like, and a cover plate 13, a base member or base plate 14, and a mounting bracket 15, all preferably of metal. The housing has front and back faces 16 and 17, respectively, and a top and bottom face 18 and 19, respectively.

As best seen in FIGURES 2-6, the housing 12 has a plurality of substantially vertically disposed cylindrical openings or chambers 26, 21, 22 and 23 extending therethrough for accommodating stacks of coins of different denominations. In the embodiment shown, there are four such chambers, 20 being adapted to receive a stack 3,172,414 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 ice of quarters, 21 a stack of dimes, 22 a stack of nickels, and 23 a stack of pennies.

The housing 312 has a bottom face 19 which is preferably forwardly and upwardly inclined and is recessed forwardly and rearwardly of the lower ends of each of the chambers Ell-23. Thus, the bottom face 19 is provided with a plurality of rear recesses 24, 25, 26 and 27 each of which has a smaller width than the diameters of the respective chambers 20-23. The bottom face 19 of the housing 12 is also provided with forward or front recesses 28, 29, 3t} and 31 each of which is approximately the same width as the diameter of the particular coins to be dispensed. The base member 14 is positioned to extend transversely across the lower ends of the chambers 2043 and may be secured to the forwardly inclined bottom face 19 of the housing 12 by fastening means such as screws 32. When the coin dispenser of this invention is made from plastic, it is contemplated that the base member 14 be formed integrally with the housing 12.

As is best seen llIl FIGURES 2 and 6, the base member 14 cooperates with the front receses 28, 29, 3t} and 31 of the housing 12 to afford a number of coin dispensing slots 28a, 2%, 3th: and 31a. Similarly, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 6, the base member 14 cooperates with the rear recesses 24, 25, 26 and 27 to provide a number of rear slots 24a, 25a, 26a and 27a through which portions of the coins project. Thus, to perform a coin dispensing operation, a person can contact the coin portion exposed in any one of the rear slots and slide this bottom coin forwardly and upwardly so that it can be grasped and removed from a front slot after which the next superposed coin moves downwardly by gravity into coin dispensing position against the forwardly and upwardly inclined cotin supporting surface of the base member 14.

In order to facilitate finger contact with the coins in the rear slots, the base member 14 may be cut out or relieved at 33, 34, 35 and 36 to provide notches and the rear recesses 24-27 may have upwardly relieved portions at 24b, 25b, 26b and 27b (see FIGURES 2 and 3). In order to facilitate the grasping of coins being removed from the front slots 28a-3la, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the base member 14 is indented or scalloped adjacent'each forward recess, and depressions 37, 38, 39 and ll are formed in the front face 16 of the housing 12 immediately above the front coin dispensing slots 28a- 31a.

A substantially rectangular cover plate may be pivotally secured to the top face Id of the housing 12 as by a screw 41 to cover the four cylindrical chambers 2043. In the embodiment shown, the corner of the cover plate 13 opposite the screw 41 is bent upwardly to provide a portion 42 which may be grasped to facilitate easy swingring of the cover plate. The cover plate 13 may also be provided with a notch 43 to cooperate with a screw 44 anchored in the top face 18 of the housing 12 for bolding the cover plate 13 in closed position over the cylindrical chambers 20-23.

In the embodiment shown, the mounting bracket I5 is adapted to be permanently secured to the dashboard 11 of a vehicle as by screws 45. However, the mounting bracket 15 may be detachably secured to the housing 12 so that the coin dispenser can be removed and locked in the glove compartment of a vehicle if desired. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the mounting bracket 15 is provided with a pair of keyhole slots 46 each adapted to receive a headed screw 47 which are mounted on the back face 17 of the housing. To remove the coin dispenser from the mounting bracket 15, the housing 12 is moved upwardly of the bracket so that the heads of the screws may be withdrawn through the enlarged upper portions of the keyhole slots 46.

In operation, the coin dispenser may be easily and .2 rapidly filled by merely swinging the cover plate 13 forwardly as shown in FIGURE 4 and dropping the proper of the forwardly inclined base member 14. Thus, gravi ity and frictional forces alone hold the bottom coin in each stack against accidental displacement. In order to remove a coin from the dispenser, one merely pushes the coin forwardly of a rear slot by utilizing finger pressure and thengrasps the forwardly protruding end of the coin and pulls it from the coin dispenser. Since the rear notches at 33-36 do not extend all the way across the base member 14, the base member portions about the notches 33-36 perform a limiting function during digital or finger action in dispensing coins. In other words, the finger advancing a coin can move only a limited distance in the notches 33-36 until the finger strikes the base member so that the coin is advanced forwardly a predetermined distance Where it may be grasped at the forward dispensing slot. It will be noted that there are no springs, and'no moving parts to be worn out in the instant dispenser and, while simple in structure, the coin dispenser assembly is foolproof in'feeding and most dependable in holding the coins against accidental displacement.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecesary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for coins comprising: a housing formed to provide an inner chamber for accommodating a stack of coins therein, the chamber extending uprightly through the housing and opening at its opposite ends through the top face and the bottom face of the housing for receiving and dispensing said coins respectively, the bottom face having a forward recess and a rear recess extending forwardly and'rearwardly of the chamber opening through the bottom face, the forward recess being wider than the diameter of one of the coins to be retained and the rear recess being narrower than said coin diameter; and a base member secured to the housing transversely of the chamber openingthrough the bottom face and having a coin supporting surface positioned in a forward and upward inclination relative to the axis of the chamber so that the stack of coins is supported on the supporting surface of the base member in forwardly and upwardly tilted relation, the base member extending across the forward recess to afford a coin dispensing front slot and extending across the rear recess to afford a rear slot in which a portion of the lowermost coin in the stack is exposed, said base member being provided with a notch beneath the rear recess of the housing, the notch extending forwardly part of the Way through the base member to provide finger access to the rear portion of the lowermost coin so that forward movement of a finger in the notch against the lowermost coin will advance that a coin a predetermined distance forwardly through the front slot for manual grasping, and removal of the lowermost coin will permit the coin immediately above the lowermost coin in the stack to be moved by gravity downwardly against the base member for a subsequent dispensing operation.

2. A dispenser for coins comprising: a housing formed to provide a plurality of inner. chambers each for accommodating a stack of coins therein, each chamber extending 11 rightly through the housing and opening at its opposite ends throughrthe top face and the bottom face of the housing for receiving and dispensing said coins respectively, the bottom face having forward recesses and rear 7 recesses each extending forwardly and rearwardly of each chamber opening through the bottom face, each forward recess being wider than the diameter of one of the coins to be retained and each rear recess being narrower than said colin diameter; and a base member secured to the housing transversely of the chamber openings through the bottom face and having a coin supporting surface positioned in a forward and upward inclination relative to the axis of the chamber so that each stack of coins in each chamber is supported ongthe supporting surface of the base member in forwardly and upwardly tilted relation, the base member extending across each forward recess to afford coin dispensing front slots and extending across each rear recess to afford rear slots in each of which a portion of the lowermost coin in each stack is exposed, the housing andthe base member being rearwardly relieved adjacent each front slot to facilitate the grasping of coins being dispensed through each of said front slots, said base member'being provided with a notch staclcto be moved by gravity downwardly against the base member for a subsequent dispensing operation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS a 601,259 3/98 Jones l33-6 1,172,605 2/16 Jones 133-6 1,438,135 2/22. Pettit p 133-6 FOREIGN PATENTS 302,321 10/ 54 Switzerland.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, PrimaryExamz'nerl 

1. A DISPENSER FOR COINS COMPRISING: A HOUSING FORMED TO PROVIDE AN INNER CHAMBER FOR ACCOMMODATING A STACK OF COINS THEREIN, THE CHAMBER EXTENDING UPRIGHTLY THROUGH THE HOUSING AND OPENING AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS THROUGH THE TOP FACE AND THE BOTTOM FACE OF THE HOUSING FOR RECEIVING AND DISPENSING SAID COINS RESPETIVELY, THE BOTTOM FACE HAVING A FORWARD RECESS AND A REAR RECESS EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OF THE CHAMBER OPENING THROUGH THE BOTTOM FACE, THE FORWARD RECESS BEING WIDER THAN THE DIAMETER OF ONE OF THE COINS TO BE RETAINED AND THE REAR RECESS BEING NARROWER THAN SAID COIN DIAMETER; AND A BASE MEMBER SECURED TO THE HOUSING TRANSVERSELY OF THE CHAMBER OPENING THROUGH THE BOTTOM FACE AND HAVING A COIN SUPPORTING SURFACE POSITIONED IN A FORWARD AND UPWARD INCLINATION RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF THE CHAMBER SO THAT THE STACK OF COINS IS SUPPORTED ON THE SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THE BASE MEMBER IN FORWARDLY AND UPWARDLY TILTED RELATION, THE BASE MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS THE FORWARD RECESS TO AFFORD A COIN DISPENSING FRONT SLOT AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE REAR RECESS TO AFFORD A REAR SLOT IN WHICH A PORTION OF THE LOWERMOST COIN IN THE STACK IS EXPOSED, SAID BASE MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH A NOTCH BENEATH THE REAR RECESS OF THE HOUSING, THE NOTCH EXTENDING FORWARDLY PART OF THE WAY THROUGH THE BASE MEMBER TO PROVIDE FINGER ACCESS TO THE REAR PORTION OF THE LOWERMOST COIN SO THAT FORWARD MOVEMENT OF A FINGER IN THE NOTCH AGAINST THE LOWERMOST COIN WILL ADVANCE THAT A COIN A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FORWARDLY THROUGH THE FRONT SLOT FOR MANUAL GRASPINGM AND REMOVAL OF THE LOWERMOST COIN WILL PERMIT THE COIN IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE LOWERMOST COIN IN THE STACK TO BE MOVED BY GRAVITY DOWNWARDLY AGAINST THE BASE MEMBER FOR A SUBSEQUENT DISPENSING OPERATION. 